MANCHESTER may be lacking a restaurant with fine dining's most illustrious honour - a Michelin-star - but the city's movers and shakers sure know what they like on a night out.

As Diary Editor for the M.E.N. I've had to wine and dine a fair few celebs and VIPs around town, and the same venues always crop up for their ideal place to meet.

MANCHESTER may be lacking a restaurant with fine dining's most illustrious honour - a Michelin-star - but the city's movers and shakers sure know what they like on a night out.

As Diary Editor for the M.E.N. I've had to wine and dine a fair few celebs and VIPs around town, and the same venues always crop up for their ideal place to meet.

Venues with private dining booths always come top of the list - the likes of Panacea, San Carlo, The Living Room and Restaurant Bar & Grill in the city centre - it allows those VIPs that extra bit of privacy but also gives them the best view of what's happening all around - celebs like to people watch too!

These booths are always the hottest seats in a restaurant - many booked up for weeks in advance, and often reserved for the venue's very best customers.

San Carlo on King Street West is one of the busiest restaurants in town, with the black leather booths counting as the favourite for visiting guests.

The restaurant is owned by Carlo di Stefano - who started out in business in Manchester as a hairdresser in the basement of Kendals - before moving into the restaurant world first with city Italians Coco and Cocotoo, then setting up San Carlo in Birmingham 15 years ago and the Manchester branch followed four years ago, which has become the family's flagship venue with record profits this year.

Carlo's son Marcello manages the Manchester restaurant and has seen anyone who's anyone through the doors in his time - the likes of movie star Russell Crowe, US talk show host Jerry Springer and football manager Sven Goran Eriksson. In fact, so many celebs have been there they've started framing pictures of the VIP guests on the wall.

Marcello says: "The booths are what everyone wants. At the weekend they tend to be reserved for our regular customers. In the week we get a lot of business people in who start here at lunchtime and end up spending the whole day here. I think people love it here so much because there is always such a great atmosphere."

But he reveals not even A-listers can be guaranteed a booth at peak times. He says: "Russell Crowe rolled up for dinner one Saturday night but we were so busy there were no tables, never mind booths, available. In the end he sat in the bar area with his friends for a meal."

12 noon

The restaurant is already getting busy and first to take the booth for the day is city centre businesswomen Anne Taylor, head of private wealth management at Kleinwort Benson and, Sue Kilshaw, boss of her own recruitment business. And the ladies reckon they love it so much because you can almost guarantee you'll bump into someone you know.

Anne says: "It's rare for me to come in here and not see someone I know, and many a deal has taken place in these booths."

Sure enough, just after they've tucked into the main meal, a couple of business colleagues bound over to say hello.

1pm

Blackburn Rovers player Morten Gamst Pedersen is a real regular at the restaurant. In fact not only does he tuck into a bowl of pasta at lunchtime, but we spy the blond midfielder popping back later at 6pm with a group of pals for dinner as well. Does he not have a home to go to, I ask? "Yes, I've been busy cleaning my apartment before I got here," he laughs. "I actually just live round the corner and sometimes it's easier to just call by for some food than cook myself.

"I like coming here because it's great food and I really get taken care of. You don't want to go to a restaurant where you don't feel welcome."

He's been living in Manchester for four years now, and it seems our cold weather is nothing compared to his homeland in Norway. He says: "I'm from a city inside the Arctic Circle in Norway. The coldest it's been there is -43 degrees." Blimey!

As we continue to chat, who should come and sit in the next booth but Manchester United star Carlos Tevez and a group of friends, duly waving over at Morten.

2pm

Cosmetic surgeon Maurizio Persico and son Angelo tuck into some delicious-looking tiramisu. As Italians, they tell me it's so hard to fing a "genuine" Italian restaurant - but reckon they've found it in San Carlo. Maurizio says: "Quite often it is just the name that is Italian. It's quite hard to find places that can cook pasta properly. And for an Italian - pasta is compulsory!"

Maurizio is clinical director at the Bridgewater Hospital in Manchester. I can't resist asking him what is the most hotly-sought surgery at the moment. "Breast enlargements are the most popular," Maurizio confirms. "They account for 60 per cent of the market".

Yikes, I move off before he can scrutinise too many of my imperfections{hellip}

The couple have been dining here for years and Bev says: "Eating well is important to me - I love the food and the atmosphere, and the booths are perfect for people watching. The other thing I love is I can come in on my own in the daytime for a coffee and a read through my scripts. You can feel vulnerable doing that by yourself but I feel at home here. I brought people from all over the country here for my 50th last year."

Jon: "I tell everyone about this place, There's a real buzz."

Before Bev quips: "Ooh yes and there are some very sexy waiters!" Her lovelorn soapland alter ego could do with finding somewhere similar in Weatherfield!

8pm

Diners don't know where to look as next to head to the booth are soap's hottest couple - Corrie's Kym Marsh and Hollyoaks hunk Jamie Lomas

The loved-up duo reckon it's their favourite romantic eaterie. Kym says: "I just love it, I've been coming here regularly for the past couple of years, for the last year I've been in here ALL the time. It's the atmosphere, food and service that make this place special, that and they're so accommodating; they find a way to fit me in when they're really busy. When they were closed for a couple of weeks not long ago, I didn't know what to do with myself!"

It turns out the couple have just returned from a holiday to Sicily, where Jason popped the question to Anoushka.

Anoushka reveals: "We were on this fabulous terrace in Sicily and I said to him wouldn't this be an ideal place for a proposal. I didn't realise that he'd actually bought the ring with him and was planning it!"

They celebrated with Chris and his singer girlfriend Jennifer Sawdon. Chris says: "We came here for our first date and we came back for our anniversary. It's just a great place for a romantic date and certainly did the trick with me and Jennie."

10pm

At a time when many of us are getting tucked up in bed, a business dinner is just starting at the restaurant for millionaire businessman Morgan Leahy - who owns Manchester's Barton Arcade.

He nestles into his booth with colleagues including property investor Chris Oakes who specialises in building bling houses for footballers in Cheshire.

Talk was all hush hush - except to say they were discussing a £50m property deal they're doing in Liverpool which will include a hotel as well as offices.

"I always come to San Carlo when I'm in town. I had lunch and dinner here yesterday and I'm back again. I don't have a kitchen in my Manchester flat and don't need one, I just wish they did breakfast," laughs Morgan. "I could try somewhere else I suppose but I get looked after here, the food's good, it's always bustling and you can do business - which is important!"

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